Conference goers and workshop participants often hear that publishers are looking for "edgy" novels that push the boundaries of the YA genre, in order to keep the genre fresh and relevant to teen readers. James St. James' Freak Show is a recent example, in which the fabulously fabulous seventeen year-old Billy Bloom attenpts to change Dwight D Eisenhower Academy "one dress at a time."
Writers like John Green take a modern look at the coming-of-age story through funny, intelligent, and thoroughly memorable teen characters. In An Abundance of Katherines, Colin Singleton takes a revealing, life altering road trip with best friend Hassan, after breaking up with his girlfriend "Katherine the Nineteen."
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a fascinating novel on many levels: it tells an immediately relevant story that teens (and adults) can relate to, it is a wonderful example of "authentic voice," and it executes a nearly perfect emotional story arc.
Recommended YA Novels:
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger : use of the unreliable narrator
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson : use of interior monologue
An Abundance of Katherines - John Green : modern coming-of-age story, intelligent teens
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie : superb emotional arc, executed with humor
Bucking The Sarge - Christopher Paul Curtis: strongly drawn antagonist without resorting to caracature
Luna - Julie Peters : So much more than GLBTQ; a devastatingly brilliant Chapter One.
Ever - Gail Carson Levine : excellent example of creating a new world in the fantasy genre
Missing Girl - Norma Fox Mazer : use of second person POV, not usually seen in fiction
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